For sites relating to the XVII Olympic Winter Games held in Lillehammer, Norway. Other candidate cities were Anchorage, USA; Oestersund/Are, Sweden; and Sofia, Bulgaria. In 1986 the IOC voted to alternate the schedule of the Olympic Games. The Lillehammer Games were held in 1994, the only time that the two games have been staged two years apart.

The International Olympic Committee selected Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada as the host city for the 21st Olympic Winter Games. This is the third time Canada has hosted an Olympic Games, joined Calgary in 1988 (Winter) and Montreal in 1976 (Summer).